While you may have tried a tooth whitening treatment at home, you may not have been massively impressed with the results. Your teeth may have bleached a little but not as much as you wanted; you may also have had sensitivity problems during and after using a home whitening kit.

If you've now asked your dentist to try a professional treatment, then you may be hoping for much whiter teeth and less sensitivity. As you explain how home whitening didn't worked for you, your dentist may recommend that you use a tooth mousse as part of your tooth whitening treatment in the clinic. Why?

Managing Whitening Sensitivity

Even if you followed the instructions on a home whitening kit to the letter, you may still get some sensitivity from a kit. Sometimes, this is just down to the way you react to the bleaching agents. Trays that don't quite fit may also cause some sensitivity issues as they may allow bleach to pool on some areas and to leak into places where it shouldn't go.

While your dentist can create custom trays that fit better and reduce this kind of sensitivity, they may be concerned if your sensitivity was quite bad. So, they may want you to use a tooth mousse before and after the whitening treatment.

Tooth mousses help teeth remineralise. They can sometimes strengthen the enamel on teeth and make it stronger. So, if your sensitivity problems were caused by whitening ingredients soaking into weak areas of your teeth, it may make sense to use a mousse for a while before and after bleaching.

The mousse could improve the health of your teeth before you have them whitened. It may also help mitigate against post-bleaching sensitivity by giving your teeth a protective health boost as they settle down after the treatment.

Improving Whitening Results

Your dentist may feel that adding a tooth mousse to your treatment may improve the results you get. While a mousse won't whiten teeth in itself, it may make them look better after you've had them bleached.

If a tooth mousse remineralises weak spots on your teeth, then they may move back towards their natural state. They may look less stained and more translucent. This may work with your whitening treatment to make your teeth look shinier and healthier.

To find out more about the benefits of using a tooth mousse during tooth whitening, talk to your dentist. They can also explain when you should start using a mousse and how to use it.